John's Waterproofing Case Studies: Using the Right Insulation under a Home - Sandy, OR
Challenge
The usual choice for insulation is fiberglass. While this product is great throughout the walls of a home, it is specifically designed for spaces where it is encased on all six sides. When the elements can penetrate this material its lifetime diminishes and it can become a powerhouse for mold to grow and a fun material for critters to try and get into. when any condensation and moisture is added into it, this weighs down the product and causes it to droop away from the home's flooring. This elemental damage will tear and rip at the integrity of the insulation while causing damage to your home's foundation. This home had fiberglass, and the homeowners were unaware that this was not the right kind of insulation to have in a crawlspace, but they knew something was wrong then their energy bills continued to rise as time progressed.
Solution
To solve the issue of the rising energy bill out crew came in and stripped the crawlspace of the fiberglass insulation. Throughout the crawlspace, there was mold beginning to take hold where it had been pressed up against the wooden portions of the foundation. Luckily it was caught early enough that it could be treated with Mold X. We then laid down crawlspace insulation called TerraBlock, specially formulated for this area. We then isolated each pier so water and cold wind couldn't penetrate into the crawlspace. We installed Cleanspace to protect against rips and tears with our 25-year warranty. and to address the walls of the crawlspace we insulated with Spray Foam. Finally, we added in a SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier to control the humidity levels and changed out the vent covers to ensure the outside would stay out!
